Predicting the final records of each NBA team
By Brad Rowland
Boston Celtics
The Celtics are in the midst of a full rebuild, and with Brad Stevens and Danny Ainge at the helm, the organization should be in good hands for the future. However, this season is not going to be a memorable one for Boston.
Rajon Rondo is, unquestionably, the most valuable player on this roster, but the veteran point guard is on the shelf for a handful of weeks as a result of a hand injury, and that isn’t an ideal start to the campaign. Some reports reflect an earlier return than anticipated for Rondo, but even if he is back near the beginning of the slate, the former All-Star has earned the “injury-prone” label in recent seasons, and on top of that, there are rumblings that he has no desire to endure a rebuilding process.
Behind Rondo, the roster does have some quality pieces, but nothing that would stand alone in providing optimism toward a potential playoff run. Avery Bradley is one of the best on-ball defenders in the league, but his offensive questions are real, and he also has a long and checkered injury past. Up front, Jeff Green is a real NBA starter, but aside from Jared Sullinger and Brandon Bass (two undersized power forwards with little flexibility), there isn’t a lot to write him about, especially this season.
The words “Evan Turner” and “starting point guard” have been thrown around in Boston, and even if they were quickly dismissed, that certainly doesn’t bring any positive thought to the situation. The Celtics certainly added quality pieces in Marcus Smart and James Young through the draft, but Smart’s jump shot isn’t ready for prime time and Young is exceedingly raw as the youngest player in the 2014 class.
In Brad Stevens and Danny Ainge I trust, but if given truth serum, I believe they would agree that this isn’t anything resembling a playoff-bound unit in 2014-2015.
Projected Record: 24-58, 14th in East